The present invention relates to the discovery and asexual propagation of a new and distinct short day type cultivar of strawberry plant (Fragaria.times.ananassa), which resulted from crossing the selection `NJ8219-2` as the seed parent and the selection `MDUS5180` as the pollen parent in 1988 at the Rutgers University Plant Science Greenhouses in New Brunswick, N.J. Both parent plants are unpatented, non-commercial varieties. The complete pedigree of `NJ8826-11` is shown below: ##STR1##
The new cultivar has been designated as `NJ8826-11`. This specific clone was the eleventh of sixteen selections in the progeny, and was discovered by Gojko L. Jelenkovic and Joseph A. Fiola in June, 1990 at Rutgers Plant Science Farm 3 in New Brunswick, N.J. The new `NJ8826-11` plant was recognized as being distinguishable from other known commercial strawberry plant varieties in that it is a very early variety, as early or earlier than the known (unpatented) `Earliglow` variety, but at the same time the new variety demonstrates in its early season much larger fruit than any other commercial strawberry variety.
The new plant was designated `NJ8826-11` in the breeding records and was first asexually propagated, by runners, by Gojko L. Jelenkovic in about July, 1990 at Rutgers Plant Science Farm 3. It was recognized and selected as a distinctive and superior clone by Joseph A. Fiola based on extensive testing at the Rutgers Fruit Research and Extension Center in Cream Ridge, N.J. The new cultivar was subsequently tested extensively at the Rutgers Fruit Research and Extension Center in Upper Deerfield, N.J. and the Snyder Research and Extension Center in Pittstown, NJ. Limited grower testing started in 1994. The new cultivar has shown to be stable in its distinguishing characteristics over several generations, through successive asexual propagations using runners.